Energy efficiency technologies poised to offer major savings: Report

Washington, Dec 10(ANI): A new report from the U.S. National Research Council has said that energy efficiency technologies that exist today, or that are likely to be developed in the near future, could save considerable money as well as energy.

And, fully adopting the technologies could lower projected U.S. energy use by 17 to 20 percent by 2020, and 25 percent to 31 percent by 2030.

The report further said that achieving full deployment of these efficiency technologies will depend in part on pressures driving adoption, such as high energy prices or public policies designed to increase energy efficiency.

Nearly 70 percent of electricity consumption in the United States occurs in buildings and the energy savings from attaining full deployment of cost-effective, energy-efficient technologies in buildings alone could eliminate the need to add new electricity generation capacity through 2030, the report says.

Many cost-effective efficiency investments in buildings are possible, like replacing appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, furnaces, and hot water heaters with more efficient models, that could reduce energy use by 30 percent.

Opportunities for achieving substantial energy savings exist in the industrial and transportation sectors as well.

The report further said that deployment of industrial energy efficiency technologies could reduce energy use in manufacturing by 14 percent to 22 percent by 2020, relative to expected trends, and most of these savings would occur in the most energy-intensive industries, such as chemical manufacturing, petroleum refining, pulp and paper, iron and steel, and cement. (ANI)